Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In Wis?awa Szymborska's poem "Wrong Number," the reader is introduced to a surreal scenario set in an "empty, hushed art gallery" at midnight. A ringing telephone interrupts the sanctity of the gallery, contrasting modern noise against the timeless silence of the art pieces, which range from "sleepless prophets" to "untiring kings." This vivid tableau serves as a backdrop to explore themes of human folly, the impermanence of modern life versus timeless art, and the intrusion of the mundane into the sublime.

The telephone's "stream of rings" in the gallery disrupts not only the silence but also the dignity of the displayed art. While a "human sleeping now would jump up instantly," the figures in the art remain impassive. This indifference serves as a metaphor for the timeless and eternal qualities of art as it contrasts with the ephemeral, often superficial nature of contemporary life. The art subjects, captured in "moonlight" and eternally fixated "on some nail or crack," are seemingly above the trivial interruptions of modern technology. Only the "young pawnbroker's bride" is "taken by that odd, ringing contraption," yet even she won't "lay her fan aside," caught, like the others, in "mid-nonaction."

The poem reveals the inherent tension between the world of art and the world of reality, suggesting that art offers a level of sublimity and reflection that contemporary life often lacks or interrupts. The art figures in the gallery are depicted as eternal, "holding their breath" and remaining above the "nocturnal fuss," viewing it as "simply rude." This serves to illustrate the grandeur and stability associated with art, which endures beyond the lifespan of any human or technology.

Additionally, Szymborska employs humor to lighten the philosophical undertones. The poem's concluding lines argue that there would be "more black humor worthy of the name" if a "grand duke leaned out from his frame" to swear at the inconvenience. But instead, it's a "silly man calling from town" who disturbs the peace, and he is persistent at that, refusing "to give up, put the receiver down." The irony here lies in the fact that even though he has "the wrong number," he persists, as if symbolic of human folly and imperfection: "He lives, so he errs."

In "Wrong Number," Szymborska examines the intersections of art and life, the sublime and the mundane, and the eternal and the ephemeral. She uses the setting of an art gallery to symbolize the timeless and reflective qualities of art, contrasting it with the interruptions and limitations of human existence, represented by a ringing telephone. Ultimately, the poem serves as an exploration of the ongoing dance between the eternal and the transitory, between human limitations and artistic transcendence, highlighting both the comedy and tragedy inherent in this interplay.

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